Welcome to Cumbria Honey Badgers!

And just who do we have here…… Everyone meet Popcorn and Peanut, the newest kids on the Cumbria Zoo block.

Popcorn and Peanut are 1 year old Honey Badgers, or Ratels, or ‘most fearless animal in the world’ as voted by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2002, and they will be introduced to their new home here at Cumbria Zoo on Saturday 17th September as they join us from Europe.

In the wild, feisty honey badgers are considered the most destructive predator of honeybees in Africa, putting them in direct conflict with bee keepers - an industry which contributess 3.2 billion Rand (£158million) to the agricultural economy, generates 100 million Rand (£5million) through the sale of honey and bee products and employs up to half a million people - all too often, and whilst they may be feisty and can put up a decent fight, they are sadly no match for weapons, snares, poisons and traps so it’s a fight they frequently lose.

Infact, half of bee keepers surveyed openly admitted to killing Honey Badgers despite them having protected status.

Whilst not recognised by the IUCN as being under threat, populations are declining and becoming increasingly fragmented.

Honey Badgers are recognised as being rare, endangered or even locally extinct across many countries they have historically called home as they are seen as pests by bee keepers or fall victim to retaliatory killings and/or become victims of indiscriminate trappings and/or poisonings.

They fall victim to the illegal wildlife trade both for their meat, pelts and for body parts for use in traditional medicines.

This, coupled with a small litter size (1-2 cubs on average), and time spent dependent on their mother (sometimes up to 2 years), severely hinders population recovery.

Encouraging actions are being taken to protect a future for Popcorn and Peanut’s wild brothers and sisters.

Some beekeepers have been encouraged to adopt badger-proof metal hives resulting in a decline in hive damage and now in some areas, they are no longer viewed as the biggest threat to the livelihood of the beekeepers – YAY!

Honey Badgers are listed on Appendix III of Cites in Botswana, which means the need to protect them has been recognised. They are protected under schedule 2 of the Nature & Environmental Conservation Ordinance (1974) meaning it is illegal to kill or move a honey badger without a permit in some provinces and in India they are listed in Schedule I, Part I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Welcoming Popcorn and Peanut to Dalton-in-Furness is an opportunity to raise awareness of the plight of their brothers and sisters in the wild, and be part of securing a more positive future for generations of Honey Badgers to come!